Merry Christmas to all

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates this joyous day.

I’m lucky to be able to celebrate with my daughter Mona and her family. We’ll be opening presents soon.

I hope your holiday can be a joyous one without having to worry about finances. I was concerned when I wrote an article yesterday and quoted a survey that said nearly one in four Americans still have holiday debt from last year. That was surprising.

As 2023 ends and we begin thinking about the coming year, it’s a good time to remember the basics of personal finance. Set your goals, make a budget, figure out a way to monitor spending, establish an emergency fund if you don’t have one, and save for big purchases and retirement.

They’re not the sexiest things to think about, even though J. Money of Budgets Are Sexy was clever enough to think of the sexy title for his blog, but they’re so important for financial well-being and peace of mine.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones at Christmastime. And here’s wishing us all a financially healthy 2024, too.